Are You Fulfilled? (3)

I delight to do Your will, O my God... Psalm 40:8

To keep your dream alive and find fulfilment in the pursuit of it, you must allow yourself to keep dreaming. God gave Joseph two dreams: in the first, other sheaves of wheat bowed down to his; in the second, other stars bowed down to his. Note, he dreamed progressively higher, from sheaves to stars. Most creative people intuitively understand the importance of dreaming as a process for inspiration, motivation and fulfilment. George Lucas, creator and producer of the movie Star Wars, says that one thing that kept him and his colleagues going during the difficult times was this: 'We were always dreaming of how it was going to be.' If you are not a naturally creative person, then you have to learn how to keep dreaming. And if you can do it with a sense of humour, that doesn't hurt. There's a story about a student riding a bicycle on a college campus. On his tee shirt was the message: 'I am going to be a doctor.' On the bike was a sign that also had a message: 'I am going to be a Mercedes.' That's somebody who had learned to keep dreaming! Andrew Carnegie, who was a Christian philanthropist during the early 1900s, said, 'If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes.' In other words-keep your dream alive and it will keep you alive. When David said, 'I delight to do Your will, O my God,' he simply meant you'll find your highest fulfilment in doing what God put you on this earth to do.

Are You Fulfilled? (2)

Do not throw away your confidence; it will be...rewarded. Hebrews 10:35

Consultant Dan Sullivan talks about the difference between our 'ideals' and our 'actuals.' He says, 'The ideal is a picture we create of future desirable events and situations that enables us to move forward in time. The ideal does not actually exist outside our minds, nor is it achievable.' Why? Because it depends on everything being perfect. Life is, at best, messy. It's filled with surprises-both good and bad. If you need the ideal picture of your dream to come into being in order to feel fulfilled, you will never be fulfilled. That doesn't mean you should cast aside your ideal vision. It is useful for helping you to establish goals, find internal motivation, and strive for excellence. However, you also need to temper it. Where idealistic dreams expect to be realised immediately, realistic dreams make you appreciate the time it takes for them to become a reality. Where idealistic dreams do not tolerate anything less than perfection, realistic dreams leave room for you to be human and imperfect. Where idealistic dreams set you up for disappointment, realistic dreams set you up for success. The man who never made a mistake, never made anything. Indeed, the man who never made a mistake probably gets his salary from the one who does. The reason God doesn't whitewash His heroes in the Bible is to let you know that in spite of your flaws, He can use you to accomplish great things. You say, 'But am I not supposed to work on my weaknesses?' Yes, but you'll only succeed in what you're called to do by working from your God-given strengths.

Are You Fulfilled? (1)

In due season he will honour you with every blessing. Psalm 37:34

There is usually a huge gap between the birth of a dream and the achievement of that dream. The question you have to ask yourself is whether it will be a fulfillment gap or a frustration gap. If it's a frustration gap you'll be miserable most of the days you're in it. And every day that you're frustrated instead of fulfilled, you lessen the odds that you'll be able to keep moving forward toward your dream. Author Seth Godin calls this gap between when you set out to do something and when you actually start to see significant results, 'the dip.' The dip represents the adversity you must face, the learning curve you must go through, and the hard work you must be willing to invest between conception and realisation. If the dip you are in seems to be a road without end, here are some Scriptures you need to stand on: 'Don't be impatient for the Lord to act! Keep travelling steadily along his pathway and in due season he will honour you with every blessing.' 'Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised' (Hebrews 10:35-36 NIV). 'So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal' (2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV). God has promised you more than just the fulfilment of your dream; He has promised joy in each step you take toward it.

I Met the Master Face to Face...

...We have seen his glory... John 1:14

The Bible says: 'The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came...full of grace and truth.' To know the Lord Jesus Christ personally is to love Him, to love Him is to serve Him, and to serve Him is to experience life's highest joy and fulfilment. An unknown author wrote the following poem about Jesus. If you know Him as your Lord and Saviour it will resonate in your heart. If you don't, it's our prayer you will want to accept Him today as your Lord and Saviour: 'I walked life's way with an easy tread, had followed where comforts and pleasures led; until one day in a quiet place, I met the Master face to face. With station and rank and wealth for my goal, much thought for my body but none for my soul; I entered to win in life's mad race, when I met the Master face to face. I met Him, and knew Him, and blushed to see that His eyes full of sorrow were fixed on me. And I faltered and fell at His feet that day, while my castles melted and vanished away. Melted and vanished, and in their place, naught else did I see but the Master's face; And I cried aloud, "O, make me meet, to follow the steps of Thy wounded feet." My thought is now for the souls of men; I have lost my life to find it again; e'er since one day in a quiet place, I met the Master face to face.'

Stop Worrying About It!

Do not worry... Matthew 6:31

If you let them, two things will rob you of your peace of mind: 1) The past. We all make mistakes-even the folks you admire and think never make mistakes. The Bible says, 'For every man shall bear his own burden' (Galatians 6:5 KJV). We all struggle in certain areas. We all say and do things we wish we hadn't said or done. 'So what can I do?' you ask. Ask God to forgive you, then trust Him to make it work out all right. He can do that. He can help you clean up your mistakes and grow stronger through them. For example, when you say something you shouldn't, instead of obsessing about whether or not you offended somebody, ask the Lord to let them know your heart was right even though you put your foot in your mouth. Trust God to work on them and give you favour. That way you don't have to spend the next several days feeling anxious, or cringe when you meet them. 2) The future. God won't meet tomorrow's needs until tomorrow comes. So when you are having an attack of the 'what if's,' stop and consider these words from the lips of Jesus: 'Therefore do not worry, saying, what shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you' (Matthew 6:31-33 NKJV). Victor Hugo said, 'When you have accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace; God is awake!'

You Can Defeat Satan!

Satan is a force you'll contend with every day. And he's a master at reinventing himself. The Bible says he can morph 'into an angel of light' (2 Corinthians 11:14 NKJV). And while his approach may be appealing, his intent is always to '...steal and kill and destroy...' (John 10:10 NIV). Destroy what? Your peace of mind, your destiny, your relationships, etc. How can you defeat him? In two ways: 1) Don't fear him. 'The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil...' (Psalm 121:7 KJV). Thirty-one times in the New Testament we read that as believers we are 'in Christ.' So to get at you, satan must first go through Him! 2) Don't give him access. 'Nor give place to the devil.' Satan has no place in your life unless you open the door and give him one. And when Christ is enthroned in your heart, there's no room for the devil. But it's not enough to have a clean heart, you must have a spirit-filled heart. Jesus said: 'When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. Then it says, I will return to the person I came from. So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before' (Matthew 12:43-45 NLT). The best way to break bad habits is to replace them with good ones. The best way to defeat satan is to make Jesus Lord of your life.

Stretch and Increase!

Have you ever thought about the relationship between stretching and increase? Really, they go hand in hand. If you want to see increase in your life, you have to enlarge yourself. You have to stretch yourself so you can be prepared to receive more and give more. If you want to stretch, you have to take a step of faith and be obedient to what God has placed in your heart.


What are you doing to stretch yourself? You can't just sit back and wait for something to happen. You have so much to offer this world. There's more inside of you than you think!


There's a story about a woman who was newly divorced, almost penniless, afraid of public places, and trying to raise two teenage sons. Through several tragedies in her life, she developed severe agoraphobia and was afraid to even leave her house. She had to make a living, so she searched her heart for ways to support herself and her two sons.


She loved to cook, and all she knew to do for income was to make sandwiches and other simple foods. She found a few customers, but because she was so uncomfortable leaving the house, her two sons had to deliver the sandwiches. Her little home business quickly grew beyond the size of her kitchen, and she now faced a decision. Would she stand still and stop growing, or would she confront her fears and step outside her comfort zone and stretch herself? Though fear constantly harassed her, she recognized that cooking was the seed she had in her hand. As she sat in her house, she could imagine her business growing, and she began to see success. She made the decision to step out and learn and grow. First, she decided to confront the agoraphobia that imprisoned her. Reaching deep inside herself, she was able to take a job as a chef at a local hotel.


Her seeds began to spring forth, and once again, she experienced tremendous success. She was learning step by step that the gifts inside of her were seeds of greatness. A few years later, she opened her own restaurant, The Lady and Sons, right in the heart of Savannah, Georgia. The restaurant's reputation quickly spread and received national recognition.


Paula Deen's restaurant was such a success that she eventually landed her own television show, published cookbooks, and even had a role on the silver screen. Today she is one of America's most beloved television chefs, and it all started when she realized that the power that dwelt inside of her was greater than the fear that held her back.


Oftentimes, people stay where they are in life simply because of fear. Don't let that be you! Be willing to step out of your comfort zone. Be willing to stretch. Prepare yourself for increase because God has so much more in store for you!


"Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes." (Isaiah 54:2, NIV)